Friday, March 19, 2010

Who among us wouldn't be proud to say they could Lindy Hop? I surely would!

Beyond being a hoot, it looks to be a hazard! I think myself adventurous, so (mastering?/attempting?) this vigorous dance is definitely on my bucket list.

Lindy Hoppers - Jet Magazine - 1958

About the Lindy Hop (from Wikipedia:)

The Lindy Hop was born in black communities in Harlem, New York in the United States from about 1927 into the early 1930s from four possible sources: the breakaway, the Charleston, the Texas Tommy, and the hop.

The Lindy Hop is based on the popular Charleston and named for Charles Lindbergh's Atlantic crossing in 1927. It evolved in New York City in the 1920s and '30s and originally evolved with the jazz music of that time. Lindy was a fusion of many dances that preceded it or were popular during its development but is mainly based on jazz, tap, breakaway and Charleston. It is frequently described as a jazz dance and is a member of the swing dance family.

In its development, the Lindy Hop combined both partnered and solo dancing by using the movements and improvisation of black dances along with the formal eight-count structure of European partner dances. This is most clearly illustrated in the Lindy's basic step, the swingout. In this step's open position, each dancer is generally connected hand-to-hand; in its closed position, men and women are connected as though in an embrace.

Revived in the 1980s by American, Swedish, and British dancers, the Lindy Hop is now represented by dancers and loosely affiliated grass roots organizations found in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania.

Leon James and Willa Mae Ricker demonstrating the Lindy Hop for a 1943 issue of Life Magazine.

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About b.vikki vintage:

This blog features vintage advertising campaigns and fashion editorials from Black/African-American publications, video clips and found photographs featuring people of color from the 1950s-1960s, as well as product descriptions and pictures of vintage pieces I have for sale at my etsy.com shop.

Among the items available for purchase will be dresses, skirts, cardigans, shoes, bags, jewelry, and occasionally hats from the 1950s-1960s or fashioned in the style of that era.

I've loved vintage fashion for some time (and traditional jazz and pop standards, old movies, Doris Day, et al), and did lots of research before deciding to open a vintage etsy shop and start this blog, because I wanted to do it right. Something I noticed during my research, something that helped me to cement my decision, was the lack of women of color in the online vintage community.

So, not only will I be selling vintage clothing, but the pictures I post here, of beautiful women of color from the 1950s and 1960s, will give some idea of what we truly wore then.

My great grandmother, Essie O'Neal, and her brother, Norris Reed, Sr in the late 1940s.